Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I joked around here recently about how funny it would be if Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls (on which Jared played a character named Dean) showed up on an episode of Supernatural. While that's a little far-fetched, I will have to say that I love it when actors and actresses whom I've loved in other roles on other shows show up on screen with the Winchester boys. Three that come to mind are...

Amy Acker (Angel) in the episode "Dead in the Water"

Julie Benz (Angel) in the episode "Faith" (By the way, when I was at the Buffy the Vampire Slayer panel at Dragon*Con, someone asked Julie about her guest spot on Supernatural. She said she really enjoyed it and that there was a kiss filmed between her and Jensen, but it got cut.)

Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) in the episode "Road Kill."

This got me to thinking about who I'd like to see show up as a guest in the future. My first thought? Sarah-Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). There's a big overlap between Buffy and Supernatural fans, so I think it would go over well and potentially be really funny. I mean, if they can bring on Paris Hilton... James Marsters (Buffy) would be good too. Oh, I've got it...what if the boys are dreaming or the Trickster is messing with them and they think they're Angel (Sam) and Spike (Dean) and Sarah-Michelle guest stars and can't choose between them. :) Isn't it amazing what the brain will come up with when it's punchy at 2:46 in the morning?

So, seriously, who would you like to see guest on Supernatural this season or next (if there's a next one)?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Since news is light this week (and a lot of it is related to slipping ratings--but we won't talk about that), let's start with the pretty...

Remember that issue of Entertainment Weekly last spring that got the whole "final season" conversation started? All of the photos from the shoot have been released (or accessed/stolen/snuck out/whatever). Here are a couple of my favorites:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jensen Ackles is rumored to be attached to the 2010 movie Resident Evil: Afterlife with Milla Jovovich (confirmed) and Eva Mendes, Ali Larter, and Jason O'Mara (all rumored). I haven't been a huge fan of the RE movies, but I did go see Resident Evil: Apocalypse becuase Oded Fehr was in it. How can I do less for Jensen?

Jensen also gets a mention in this We Are Movie Geeks article about making a movie about The Flash. It's a brief mention, referencing Jensen losing the Green Lantern casting battle as a popular underdog, with a half-sentence speculation about his suitability for this role. I also saw some polls including him for the Captain America role, which of course is fan speculation rather than industry info, but it's fun to contemplate. I for one would love to see either J get a superhero gig. Or a romantic comedy, for pity's sake!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two Entertainment Weekly issues ago, the Must List contained a reader-supplied description of Supernatural. It would be nicer if they'd mention the show every week in the Must Watch section (which they did do in the latest issue), or even half as often as they talk about Gossip Girl, but every little mention helps!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This isn't news, it's gossip, although it's at least confirmed gossip. :) Since so many of us Supernatural fans are also Joss Whedon fans, I thought it worth a mention:

Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly, Alpha from Dollhouse) and Adrianne Palicki (Jessica from Supernatural, Tyra on Friday Night Lights) are dating! Adrianne is also currently filming Red Dawn with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2010 conventions are being announced all over the world! In the U.S. (+Vancouver), Creation Entertainment has the most events. They've got Chicago this November, then LA, New Jersey, and Vancouver scheduled for next year. (LA and Vancouver sold out their Gold Package tickets already!) There will also be Jus in Bello in Rome in April, Brazil in May, and Asylum in the UK, also in May. A source for lots of information on cons is the Supernatural Wiki.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~And finally, for those of you who aren't trying to keep completely spoiler free, this link has a clip and TV spot from this week's show.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Was so excited that I am writing this fresh off my DVRed viewing, so not so much careful quoting as major paraphrasing. I trust y'all to correct me if I get anything wrong :-)

And before we go any further, obligatory SPOILER alert for last night's ep "Free to Be You and Me" (in which our intrepid heroes have parted ways :sob:)

Okay, THEN, and now: Sam wakes up in a hotel bed with....Jessica. Who appears to be getting all pep-talky about how it's silly for him to run away from Dean/hunting because what he's really trying to do is run away from himself which ain't gonna fly. He will always be a freak. More or less. And I had two gut reactions to this scene.

1) Have you guys noticed that whenever the guys part ways/are separated by one of them being tortured in hell, Sam ends up alongside some chick? Meg, in Scarecrow, as early as season 1. Then later, the poor doomed engaged girl who was also "special." And do not even get me started on Ruby in the months Dean was dead. (I even think I might be missing one in there. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)

2) I turned to my hubby and asked, "So do we think this is like the good spirit of Jess trying to put him back on his right path--ie fighting evil with his bro--or do we think it's something evil disguised as Jess trying to make him so hopeless he kills himself or something equally ill-advised and desperate?" (Stick around til the end of the recap for the exciting answer).

Show opens on fabulous "Simple Man" montage which juxtaposes Sam's new life as a barback (splattering lemon juice on himself) against Dean's continuing hunter's life (in which he of course is spattered in blood). Honestly, this couple of minutes was quite well done.

Sam is working in a bar under the name of "Keith" (really? I don't see it) and Dean...is being snuck up on by Castiel ("Cass, we've talked about this. Personal space!"). And now I must say something which is going to cause you guys to throw rotten fruit at me and disavow me as a blasphemer. Of COURSE I want the brothers to mend their falling out and rediscover their fun kicking butt chemistry circa season 2, but y'all, if Dean and Castiel ever got a spin-off, I would totally watch it. As always Dean has his pop-culture refs (namely, Thelma and Louise) but they're more hilarious now that he's bouncing him off someone who clearly Does Not Get It.

Cass is still on his quest to find God and has a lead in the form of the archangel Rafael (who used up a human vessel and left him pretty much a vegetable. Guy's now a vegevessel.) Dean takes Cass to interview a partially deaf sherrif who witnessed the angel smiting demons (even though the sheriff didn't realize that's what he saw). Dean was being his usual slick "Federal Agent So and So" self while Castiel was more like--as my husband put it--Rainman, not being able to wrap his mind around this whole "humans lie" concept.

Over in Sam world, a cute blond girl is falling for the mysterious brooding barback and challenges him to darts. If she wins, he has to tell his life story. No sooner has he kicked her butt while barely glancing at the dartboard than we get a local news report that the weather has gone all apocalypse nowish with freak storms. (And where I live, we had major rains and scary flooding earlier in the week, so quickly moving on...)

Sam calls Bobby, who kicks metaphorical butt even from his chair. When Sam wants Bobby to send a Hunter to investigate the end-times phenomena, Bobby ponders, "Well let me think who's the best hunter I know in the area. Oh, wait, that'd be YOU." Sam hangs up on him but a later scene shows three Hunters who blow his cover by showing up at the bar and calling him "Sam." (At which point, I totally said to my husband, you know at least one of these guys is going to die, now that Sam has refused to help them, adding to his overall guilt and Sideburns of Angst.)

Back to the Dean and Castiel show. Cass is fairly certain that while Dean (as Michael's vessel) might be safe, Rafael (aka the "teenage mutant ninja angel") is totally going to kick Cass ass after the planned interrogation. In fact, Cass might stay dead this time, and Dean decides Cass should not die a virgin. He takes him to a BROTHEL, where Misha Collins did some hilariously fine acting by looking terrified of a hooker. Named Chastity. No sooner had Dean sent Cass and Chas down the hall than she shrieks and angry looking bouncers ensue. (Apparetly Castiel tried to assure her that her father abandoning her was not her fault, which freaked her right the hell out. Dean makes a tawdry joke, but because the writers of this show are in no way lazy, the whole abandoned father theme makes a poignant return a few scenes later.)

Dean and Cass, with a few great lines riffing off each other, finally manage to trap rafael, who proclaims God is dead. (Who is this guy, Nietzsche?) Y'all, the whole There Is No God thing is starting to annoy me. My own personal beliefs aside, it lends SUCH an imbalance to the show. We have bad guys everywhere--including Team Angel--but other than Bobby, Cass (who Rafael actually thinks LUCIFER might have brought back to keep the angels fighting amongst themselves) and brothers we-inadvertently-started-the-endtimes Winchster, precious few good guys. Of course, even the question of God's absence results in a great scene, so no more whining from Tanya.

Samland: Sam has bonded with the cute blonde at the bar (who turns out to be a recovering alcoholic who recognizes a fellow addict) when suddenly the hunters return. Pissed. Because one of them was gutted and because the demon they captured said a lot about Sam, which they took seriously and not well. They force him to drink demon blood, hoping he'll go "hulk" and kill the rest of the demons. They threaten to kill Lindsay (aforementioned cute blonde) to make Sam do their bidding. He awesomely spits demon blood in their faces and kicks their collective butts before ordering them out of town.

Cass and Dean in car, fleeing angrily trapped archangel. Dean encourages Cass to "keep looking" for God because "I know a little something about fathers who disappear." It was an awesome exchange and also heart-breaking because John really did a number on his kids, especially the oldest (sorry, JDM, but you know it's true.) Furthermore, looking after Sam has ALSO done a number on Dean and he exposits that he's actually, unbelievably, much happier alone. At which point in the conversation Castiel disappears.

And I am both understanding and sad. I DO see how it would wear on Dean. Yet I cannot wait to see the brothers again in the same scene, not at odds with each other as they were for much of season four.

Flash to Sam waking in hotel room...not alone. This time his conversation with "Jess" is clearly more sinister as she encourages him to "abandon hope" and fades into Mark Pellegrino's Lucifer. My husband and I debated whether this was a dream sequence but Lou won the debate for me when he tells Sam, "you're hard to find. I don't suppose you'd tell me where you are?" So apparently he hasn't yet physically located him but can still reach out to him through his dreams. You see he's seeking Sam because Sam is--and it dawned on me bare moments before Lou said it--HIS VESSEL.

Which, you know, of course is awful, but damn! The writers set Dean up as Michael's vessel and Sam up as Lucifer's. Wow. Nicely done. (Although of course horrible and depressing and completely contrary to what Kripke said about this being a more "optimistic" season in which the brothers became "closer." To what? Annihilating each other?)

And did y'all SEE the previews for next week??????

Overall, even though I was expecting to balk more at the separated Winchesters (usually my least favorite eps) I thought the writers did really well with this one. What about you guys? Favorite/least favorite moments?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

In the summer of 2003 things were shaping up perfectly for actor Jim Beaver and his wife Cecily Adams (the daughter of TV legend Don Adams of Get Smart fame). A year earlier he had landed a starring role on what was about to become the critically acclaimed HBO drama Deadwood. He was also in the process of finishing a long-aborning book on the life of TV Superman George Reeves. Cecily had her own fan following from her acting work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and was simultaneously ensconced as one of TV's most respected casting directors. More important, they were the proud parents of Madeline Rose, a delicious two-year-old they had struggled through horrifically difficult fertility treatments to conceive. And they were building their dream house, just a block from Cecily's studio office, which would allow Cecily to walk home to see her baby at lunch every day. Life, family, home, and career. They had it all. And then their world imploded. In less than two months Jim and Cecily's child was diagnosed as autistic. And Cecily, a nonsmoking health nut, learned she had inoperable Stage IV lung cancer. Jim immediately began writing a nightly email as a way to keep 125 family members and friends up-to-date about her condition. From there his emails spread and soon 4,000 people a day, all around the world, were getting the updates. Initially a cathartic exercise for Jim, the prose turned into an unforgettable journey for his readers.

LIFE'S THAT WAY: A Memoir (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam; April 16, 2009) is Jim Beaver's day-by-day chronicle of the year his life as he knew it was torn asunder. Cecily died four months after being diagnosed. Through that time of treatment and the unimaginable gifts of support and friendship they received from many sources—and through the following eight months in which Jim and his daughter Maddie went on alone learning to live again—the book reveals their experience and provides extraordinary insight and inspiration for surviving the loss of a loved one. Like Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie or Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, this memoir is about the death of a loved one, but also very much about life. Written straight from the heart with extraordinary humor amidst great sadness, it is a story not just of travail, but also one of love and generosity, of unfathomable human kindness, and of wondrous gifts and invaluable lessons for living."

I’ll admit upfront I was skittish about reading Life’s That Way. I avoid tearjerkers the way Dean Winchester avoids healthy food. However, I’m such a big fan of Jim Beaver’s, and have enjoyed his myspace blog entries and facebook notes, that I really wanted to read his book.

I’m glad I did.

I found it to be a very compelling, emotional, romantic, empowering, humorous and uplifting read. Readers should know the real crux of this story is about family, love and the triumphant nature of the human spirit. Jim’s adoration for Cec and Maddie is tangible on every page. If you’ve read his myspace entries you know he’s an incredible and devoted dad whose loyalties and heart hold deep to family and friends.

I thought him an extraordinary man before, but his book humbled me and left me with lingering lessons.

One of the things I most appreciated, from a writer’s perspective, was his incredible way with words and his raw honesty. As writers we can sometimes have little devils on our shoulders trying to censor us, but he didn’t hold any punches in his entries, even when they were aimed at family and friends. To me that takes great courage, something he repeatedly proves to have a great deal of.

I was also moved by his passionate spirit. He has a tendency to play gruff, loveable characters, but one thing I took away from the real Jim Beaver is he’s the kind of romantic that makes women swoon.

But the greatest thing I took away from Life’s That Way was his ability and grace in finding the positive side of things in the worst of circumstances. Many people can’t do that, but he showed a gift for looking at the bigger picture and finding universal truths in the darkness. One of my favorite things he shared is “Forgiveness is not something you do for someone else; it’s something you do for yourself. To forgive is not to condone, it is to refuse to continue feeling bad about an injury.”

Jim’s strength of character is amazing and his book doesn’t merely offer comfort to readers who’ve suffered similar struggles and loss, it demonstrates that life is what you make of it and we should all live our lives to the fullest.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Keith R. A. DeCandido is coming out with two Supernatural novels in 2010. The first, Heart of the Dragon, is out February 16. Love the cover.

Rolling Stone listed Supernatural as Reason #27 in its “50 Reasons to Watch TV” article in the Sept. 17 issue. It’s a teeny blurb that compares the Winchesters to the Duke boys, but it is #27.

Sadly, Supernatural came in last in its time slot both weeks. The first week, everything was reruns, but this week The Office and Fringe had season premieres. Supernatural fell 14% from the previous week. This week it goes up against Grey's Anatomy. GULP! So get the word out!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is signed to be in the remake of Red Dawn. It will be out next September. Currently, he’s filming The Losers, another movie based on a graphic novel. He would like to return to Supernatural for an episode or two but hasn’t been formally approached.

Sales of the season 4 DVD doubled from the sales of Season 3 DVDS, the first week of release. This year, 238,081 copies sold the first week, earning $8.7 million. Last year, 104,979 copies sold, earning $4.1 million (I think I just got my word problem for the day for my class ;) )

Friday, September 18, 2009

It was a MondayA day like any other dayI left a small townFor the Apple of decay

It was my destinyIt's what we needed to doThey were telling meI'm telling you

We started out the episode with these words from Foreigner's "Long, Long Way From Home." Seems fitting since the boys are a long way from "home" in just about every sense imaginable. I am glad we're starting out the season with the classic rock so many have come to identify with the show.

After the recap, we see Sam watching Bobby, who is still in the hospital, sitting in a wheelchair staring out the window. Dean arrives and injects one bit of the sparse humor of the episode. "It's been like three days now. We gotta cheer him up. Maybe I'll give him a back rub." But Sam doesn't take part in the humor and tells Dean that maybe they have to accept that Bobby isn't going to bounce back so easily this time.

Dean shows Sam the contents of the large envelope in his hand -- an X-ray that shows the strange symbols carved into Dean's ribs, the gift from Castiel that hides them from all angels, including Lucifer. As proof that even Cas can't just know where they are anymore, he has to call them on Sam's cell phone. When Cas shows up, Bobby demands that he heal him, but Cas doesn't have that power anymore.

Cas tells the boys that their plan to kill Lucifer is foolish, that they can't do it. But he knows someone who can -- God. "I'm gonna find God. He isn't in Heaven. He has to be somewhere." Dean injects the funniest line of the episode here. "Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla." The look on his face as he says it tells me that Jensen loved this line. Almost as funny was Castiel's serious response: "No, he's not on any flatbread." LOL!

After Dean's usual "God doesn't care about us" speech, Cas gets in his face and says that he's killed two angels that week, his brothers, for Dean, but Dean and Sam failed in stopping the apocalypse. "I lost everything for nothing," Cas says. He says that he needs an amulet to help him find God. It is supposed to burn hot in God's presence. Amulet, you say? Yes, DEAN'S AMULET! "Like God EMF?" Sam asks. Cas says yes. So, off Cas goes with Dean's amulet to find God, and Dean's response is, "Great, now I feel naked." This is pretty much where the humor ends in this episode except for one line toward the end.

We launch into what feels like a hunt of the week, but of course it has bigger ramifications and surprises this season. Rufus, the older hunter we've met before, calls Bobby and says he's in River Pass, Colorado, and the place is covered in demons. Boys and Impala head for Colorado, where they drive up to a destroyed bridge which is, of course, on the only road in and out of town. Funny how there are so many small towns with only one road connecting them to the rest of the world. Right as Dean says, "And the hits just keep coming," the song "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum starts playing. As they walk into town to find a bunch of abandoned and wrecked cars lining the main street, including a cherry red Mustang Dean appreciates, the song goes from being background to playing on the radio of a still running car. And who should show up then but Ellen. First she gets the boys off the street, then she hugs Dean, then she smacks him and tells him he should have called. Am I forgetting something, or didn't the boys think Ellen was either dead or had no idea where she was after the roadhouse fire? She takes them to a basement of a church where the survivors have retreated.

When Sam and Dean say they'll go get more guns and supplies, Dean tries to get Sam to stay behind. It's obvious Dean doesn't trust Sam out there with demons, and Sam knows it. While Dean goes for the guns, Sam goes to get rock salt. Two demons come in, he kills them, then has to fight his desire for the demon blood. Of course, Dean walks in and sees that written all over Sam's face. Later, Sam is upset that he had to kill teenagers and wishes he could save people like he used to. Dean calls him on that because that ability was only because of the demon blood, and Sam denies that he wants it anymore. As was speculated after last week's recap, Sam isn't as free from the lure of the demon blood as it first appeared. Sam and Dean argue again about who will accompany Ellen outside when she goes to look for Jo, but Sam ends up going with her. She knows something is up between the brothers and asks about it. Sam chalks it up to the stresses of the job.

And here's where the weirdness begins. They encounter Jo (who has black eyes), but Jo says, "Give me my mom back, you black-eyed bitch." Huh? I had to rewind and listen to this three times, and I was still confused. It gets even weirder when Rufus captures Sam and tries using holy water and rock salt against him. Rufus and Jo are puzzled about why it isn't working. They think Sam has black eyes, and he thinks they do. Something is not right in River Pass.

Back at the ranch...uh, basement of the church, Dean and Ellen try to figure out what's going on by trying to figure out what omens Rufus was in town to investigate. They find out from the minister that the river had run polluted all of a sudden the previous Wednesday. One of the other survivors says that on the same night, he saw a bright shooting star. Dean grabs a Bible and starts looking up something. When he reads, it's from Revelations: "And there fell a great star from Heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the river, and the name of the star was Wormwood. And many men died." Dean asks the minister what these specific omens are a prelude to. The answer? The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. When Dean asks which of the horsemen rides the red horse (the cherry red Mustang), the minister responds, "War." Thus, the tie-in to the name of the episode, "Good God, Y'all," a lyric from Edwin Starr's anti-war song, "War."

Dean says he things War is in town and messing with all of their minds, that there are no demons. War is just making them all think they see demons so they'll all kill each other. Turns out War is inhabiting one of the survivors, a guy named Roger is really buried in a ditch somewhere. Next up on his hit list -- Ellen and Dean. He twists a ring on his finger and the other survivors think Ellen and Dean are demons. And they start shooting. Ellen and Dean make a run for it. They find Rufus and Jo and eventually get them to see past the hallucination. Sam, who had been tied up and taunted by War about his desire for demon blood, has figured things out too. He and Dean find War and cut off the finger with the ring. Everyone stops hallucinating, but War and his red Mustang just disappear.

In one of our roadside chat scenes, we see Dean and Sam sitting at a picnic area with a mountain of pines in the background. Idyllic setting in the midst of dark times. Dean is looking at the ring and injects one tiny bit of humor. "So, pit stop at Mt. Doom?" But then Sam gets serious. He says he knows that Dean doesn't trust him, that he doesn't trust himself. And then Sammy broke my heart.

"There's something in me that scares the hell out of me, Dean. I'm in no shape to be hunting. I need to step back 'cause I'm dangerous. Maybe it's best if we just go our separate ways." And then Dean breaks my heart by saying he agrees. He says he spends more time worrying about Sam than doing the job right. Sam turns to leave, making me wonder about Kripke and company's assertion that the brothers will be growing closer this season and wondering how long they'll be apart. In a final gut-wrenching moment, Dean shows that he still loves Sam by offering to let him take the Impala. But Sam declines and rides away with a guy with a camper.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Zachariah and Company plant a vision in Chuck's head to draw Dean to his dad's old storage unit, thinking the Michael Sword is there. Zach tells Dean he is the sword, a vessel for Michael to take over and lead the war against Lucifer. Dean says no, no matter how Zach tries to force him to say yes. Castiel shows up to interrupt the torture, punish Zach's nameless goons for backing the wrong horse, and make Zach fix the boys and go away. He carves a sigil into Sam and Dean's ribs--pretty much unremovable, I'm thinking--that will hide them from angel and demon alike.

And along the way, he implies that he was put together, and Sam and Dean were pulled out of Lucifer's entrance site, by someone more powerful. But who?

Here are the prevailing theories, in order of my preference, with some arguments for and/or against each:

1. GodIs God back in the building? He would certainly have the power to yank the boys up into an airplane without anyone noticing, to instantly detox Sam, to take the millions of pieces of...Chunky Soup and put them back into Castiel. Also, Cas is pretty darned motivated all of a sudden. Gone is all the indecision he battled last season, the questions over what was right and what was wrong. He didn't hesitate to kill and banish and even order Zachariah around, to which Zach responded pretty quickly.

Castiel never really veered from his belief in God, though he felt as if he was. I can see God rewarding him for his loyalty by making him his emissary. We can also tap into other stories that lay out "rules" for what God and Satan can and can't do in the battle for humanity: Generally, God is hampered by free will. So his (or her!) direct interference with events is forbidden, or restricted. I can see the writers employing that concept here.

2. Some other high-up beingAccording to Wikipedia, Michael is the only archangel named in the Bible as recognized by both Christians and Jews. But some books of the Bible also name Gabriel and Raphael. So if Zachariah is banking on Michael, maybe one of them is opposing him, again using Castiel as his emissary. He would be higher on the totem pole, which might explain Zachariah's immediate capitulation.

Another argument for this is that if God is the one in charge now, that pretty much puts an end to Zachariah's plan, doesn't it? He was basing everything on God having left the building, and he knows the punishment for defying God's wishes is death. That would put a big hole in continuity of narrative. But if it's Gabriel or Raphael, Zach could be sufficiently cowed by them to stop his immediate actions, but not the long-term ones.

3. MichaelThis was actually my first thought when we saw the light, that Michael didn't approve of Zachariah's Guantanamo methods. It's still a possibility. Maybe he intends to lead the war, but wants Dean to be a truly willing vessel, not a coerced one, or he plans to find another vessel. Or maybe he doesn't intend to come to earth, and wants Castiel to guide the boys in the war, instead.

4. Someone we haven't seen/thought of yetNot much to say about that, because if we haven't seen them or thought of them, it's hard to predict them. Any ideas?

5. Lucifer and/or Castiel himselfOne of my friends doesn't trust Cas at all. She's very suspicious about how he came back, and thinks maybe Lucifer put him back together. After all, Castiel has fallen, hasn't he? Or has he? We know he at least has fewer powers--Misha keeps saying he's been fired/laid off, and is becoming less angelic. Falling means a death sentence, so if he's fallen, why would God or one of the more powerful angels use him?

Lucifer would definitely like to prevent Michael from taking over Dean, and he's seems to be pretty good at emotional coercion. He could have convinced Cas to work for him, or manipulated him into it without Cas realizing.

It's also possible that whoever put Castiel back together isn't giving him orders, but that Castiel is operating on his own, taking advantage of his second chance to do what he feels is right.

It also occurs to me that the stuff the writers and actors feed us isn't always accurate. After all, Kripke said (I think in a preseason [4] issue of Supernatural magazine) they were going to use different actresses for Ruby, and that wasn't really the case long-term.

Is the Castiel Debate taking the place of the Ruby Debate? Will we question Castiel's goodness and loyalties all the way through the season? And if so, will we be thrilled or disappointed at the outcome? Whatever it turns out to be, this mystery has the potential to be my favorite one of the season, and I can't wait for tomorrow!

So, which do you think it is? Or do you have another theory I didn't list? Tell us in the comments!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

First of all, before I forget, Amazon has got lots of TV on DVD sales right now. Last I checked, seasons I and 3 of SPN were at 19.99 in case you need to round out your collection--or want to get someone else hooked on the show! And secondly, big smooches to Nat for helping me compile this week's news (which, since Season 5 kicked off a few days ago, was considerable.)

Okay, those of you who are on Twitter (any of Misha's Minions in the house?) are probably already aware of the pre-premiere tweet brouhaha (tweet-ha-ha?) but you can read about the whole thing here.

And speaking of Misha! Interview love. (He totally cracks me up, btw). This onewarning Will Rogers! has some actual spoilers...but also a lot more background stuff on Misha I didn't know and at least one typo that made me raise an eyebrow... (Also, within the above interview is a link to a Kripke interview in the Chicago Tribune.)

This scoopage passed along from Natalie Damschroder: "Supernatural gets some mainstream love! The Charlotte Observer did an article about the show, and Mark Price took it seriously! My favorite part: "Last week Rolling Stone magazine cited it among the 50 reasons to watch TV this season, comparing lead characters Sam and Dean Winchester to the 'Bo and Luke Duke of demon hunting.'" (The article had been moved when I first looked for it, so if the link is broken, search "Mark Price" in quotes, and scroll down until you see "A Devilish Season".)

Nat also passed this along (I don't even dare click on this, since I try to stay pure of spoilers!)If you like spoilers, the end of this article at Supernatural Hunters Addict tells us a little of what's in store. I had to burn my eyes after I saw it. See what I'm willing to do for you people?!

(Ew, I totally flashed to Pamela Barnes, that psychic who lost her sight after trying to help Sam at the beginning of last season. Feel better soon, Natalie!)

SPOILER for anyone who hasn't seen last week's premiere... but for the other 99.9% of us, obviously Bobby has some interesting challenges ahead. Kripke and Jim Beaver are interviewed here, with some insight by Jim about how Bobby's going to handle his new physical state.

And finally, Warner Bros. is holding a Supernatural prop sweepstakes with some pretty cool prizes. Good luck!

Friday, September 11, 2009

So goes the lyrics from Rolling Stone’s Sympathy for the Devil. In the Season 5 premiere of SPN we’re introduced to Satan (Mark Pellegrino) himself and the nature of his game is indeed a puzzle, but boy is it gonna be fun figuring it out.

Kripke penned this opener and it started exactly where we left off. Blinding light. Piercing noise. The boys can’t escape and drop to their knees in agony waiting for Lucifer’s arrival and then we see…

…Yosemite Sam. The boys are inexplicably on an airplane with the Looney Tune on TV and a cartoon beezlebub is asking him, “What the devil is your name?”

WTF?

The boys are just as confused as we are. On the ground the radio is delivering apocalyptic news on every channel and Sam keeps trying to apologize, but Dean cuts him off. In need of answers they head for Chuck’s. The prophet is shocked to see them alive seeing as his last vision showed Sammy going “full on Vader.” He tells them Castiel is dead. An arch-angel smoked the crap out of him and he “exploded like a water balloon of chunky soup.” Ew. Even more ew is the tooth the soothsayer finds in his hair.

“Cram it with walnuts, Ugly.” Dean

Then that abhorrent angel Zachariah shows up to get Dean. He tells them they’re all on the same side now and he wants Dean to kill the devil. Furthermore, they need to strike hard and fast before Lucifer finds a vessel. P.O.’d, Dean slaps Zach back on the Highway to Heaven.

Back at their hotel Dean asks Sam how he’s doing with his blood addiction. Surprisingly, whoever yanked their tushes outta trouble seems to have cleansed Sam too--supernatural sobriety. Once again, Sam tries to talk to Dean, but he’s not in the mood to listen. Instead he suggests they do what they always do and go hunting…for the devil.

Meanwhile, in Pike Creek, Delaware, we meet a despondent man named Nick who’s haunted by the loss of his wife, Sarah, and their baby boy. He thinks he’s having hallucinations, but Sarah tells him he’s special, chosen. You know, whenever, if ever, someone tells you that…run!

And, in the funniest part of the episode, we meet Becky, Supernatural super fan and giggly, blushy WinCest writer. In a totally surreal moment she gets a video call from the Carver Edlund. He’s being watched by angels and he wants her to deliver a message to the real Sam and Dean. She shows up on their motel doorstep drooling and giddy where she wastes no time in fondling Sam’s pecs and telling Dean “You’re not what I pictured.” She also tells them Carver’s newest prophecy. Michael’s sword is on Earth. The angels lost it and it’s at a castle on a hill made of 42 dogs. Well, now, that’s clear as mud isn’t it? So who do the Winchesters call when they need some research help? Bobby.

Bobby shows up and explains that Michael booted Lucifer to Earth with that sword and if they can get it they can send him back to Hell. Then Sam does what he’s been trying to do with Dean for days…he confesses his sins. And Bobby, dear, Bobby completely pulverizes him. “You’re damn right you didn’t listen. You were reckless and selfish and arrogant. You’re sorry you started Armageddon. This kind of thing don’t get forgiven, boy. And if by some miracle we pull this off, I want you to lose my number, you understand me?”

Gulp. The devastation on Sam’s face is crushing. He leaves ostensibly to go look for something, but probably to secretly cry, and Dean and Bobby do more research. Bobby is saying he never would’ve guessed their daddy was right about Sam. Save him or kill him. Sadly, Dean never says anything in his brother’s defense, but he does have an epiphany and digs through his dad’s stuff. His storage locker is at Castle Storage on 42 Rover Hill. Bingo! And then bam! Bobby goes all demon on Dean and starts beating him. Meg arrives in a new meat suit. She says Dean is the only bump in the road for the new world order and every demon is out to get him. She tells Bobby to stab him to death. Bobby fights his inner demon and stabs himself instead and Meg smokes out. The boys get their surrogate father to the ER and then try to beat the demons to the storage locker. Zach is waiting for them. He tells them Dean is actually Michael’s sword aka his vessel. That’s right, Zacariah wants Dean to willingly give up his body and mind to Michael.

“Life as an angel condom.” Dean

Dean refuses and Zacariah starts to torture him into saying yes – he breaks Sam’s legs, gives Dean stage 4 stomach cancer, steals Sam’s lungs. Dean tells him to just kill them and Zacariah says he’s just started the torture. Thankfully, a very put together Castiel shows up and kicks some angel ass. He then implies that God put Sam and Dean on that plane and spared his life. To protect the brothers he carves something into their ribs that will hide them from every angel in creation, including Lucifer.

Back in Pike Creek, Nick allows his “wife” to talk him into becoming Lucifer’s vessel so he can get revenge on God for allowing a stranger to butcher his family. Possession takes place.

Oblivious, a feisty Bobby gives his doctor hell when the MD dares to tell him he may not be able to walk again. In the ER the guys discuss what they should do about their little Satanic sitch. Bobby suggests they save as many as they can for as long as they can. Dean suggests they take on both sides and win back their planet.

“What I do have is a GED and a give ‘em hell attitude.” Dean

As the boys head out of the hospital Bobby tells Sam it was the demon talking to him that way not him. “I ain’t cutting you out, boy. Not ever.” Sniff sniff. Now that’s more like the Bobby we know and love.

The jam-packed episode ends in a dark parking lot with Dean finally letting loose. He tells Sam he said all that stuff in there for Bobby’s benefit, but he can’t pretend anymore that everything is alright. He also tells his little brother he can’t believe Sam chose a demon over him. Sammy completely let him down and he’s having a hard time forgiving and forgetting. When Sam asks what he can do to make things better Dean says, “Honestly, nothing. We can never be what we were. I just don’t think I can trust you.”

Gut-wrenching pain. It’s a devastating, but true moment. They might be fighting on the same side to save the world, but chances are their separate hearts will make it that much more difficult and probably weaken their efforts. However, I have every faith the wayward son will make amends and earn his way back into good graces.

Overall, I thought Kripke did a killer job on starting off Season 5. I’ll admit I balked a little at Sammy’s instant sobriety, but I can see that it would be a distraction from the real issues at hand. I’m looking forward to seeing the Harvelles next week and watching more emotional fallout among the brothers. How about you?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Season 4 was awesome. Best season ever, consistently good. And I’m scared they’re going to drop the ball. I remember being so excited about the premiere of season 3, after the death of Azazel, the opening of the devil’s gate, Dean’s deal.

And we got “The Magnificent Seven.” I still don’t like that episode and I couldn’t say why. I think maybe they were trying to do too much, introducing new characters, and the rhythm was off. So I’m scared that this will happen again. I mean, they do have a lot of ground to cover, with the boys learning to trust each other again, and, well, Lucifer rising. I’m hoping they pace themselves.

I hope it’s as good as “In My Time of Dying,” or “Lazarus Rising.” I hope we get the balance of brotherly angst and humor and the scary. I hope my expectations aren’t too high.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Welcome to our first official News Monday. Beginning today, we're starting a new rotation of topics in celebration of Premiere Week. Each Monday, we'll be bringing you the latest news about Supernatural, Jared, Jensen, other actors and crew associated with the show -- pretty much anything related to our favorite show. And we encourage you to share what you've heard, too. Just, please, label anything as a spoiler if it's a scoop about an future episode.

On Wednesdays, our topics will vary as they have since we launched the blog. And on Fridays, we'll be going back to weekly recaps of each week's new episode. Only 3 more days, peeps!

So, here's today's news recap:

Three new clips of the season premiere have appeared online. Click here to see the Chicago Tribune article that includes the clips.

The Scream Award nominees have been announced. Even though Supernatural and its actors were not nominated, Jared's Friday the 13th and Jensen's My Bloody Valentine were both nominated for Best Horror Movie. See the info about the nominees and how to vote here.

Tanya and I just spent three days at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. The panel offerings related to Supernatural jumped from one last year to three this year. We're going to lobby to see if they can get some of the stars to attend next year. For those of you who don't know, Dragon*Con is a huge (as in 40,000+ attendees) sci-fi/fantasy/pop culture/you name it conference held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Lots and lots of Hollywood stars attend. We haven't met any Supernatural folks yet, but we're hopeful for next year.

So, what have you all heard lately related to the show or anyone affiliated with it?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

I have a confession to make. I haven't watched all the extras on seasons 1-3.

*cringes*

I know. What kind of fan am I?! I watched everything on season 1, but when I pull out the DVDs, I just watch the show. I think I have some commentaries and featurettes to watch. Eventually.

I ran out on Tuesday because I couldn't stand not to have season 4 in my hands. Even though I didn't do anything but watch episodes until last night (I was being responsible!), and I had those DVR'd, anyway. I really wanted the Target edition, which contained a bonus disc with the Comic-Con panel on it.

So, let's dig in. And when I say "dig in," I mean "exhaustively discuss everything including the packaging."

The PackagingSrsly, y'all, this is nice packaging. It's a full plastic case, with a pull-out listing of all the episodes, which gives room for extra pictures (yum!) and has a description of each episode and what extras are exactly where. The DVDs themselves are on flip-holders which are much easier to handle than the giant flip-out style on previous basic sets.

Extended/Unaired Scenes (no spoilers)Most of these served to show how expert the editing and directing of each episode really is. Some, I didn't understand why they bothered to put them on the DVD, they offered so little. Some, I didn't understand why they didn't put them on the air--heLLO, Dean in his underwear?!

My favorite was "Lazarus Rising," an extended scene with a few new lines, but OMG, maybe the funniest line of the entire season. Probably cut because it exceeded their TV-14 rating.

One unaired scene from "Heaven and Hell" featured an interesting exchange between Uriel and Castiel, but probably was cut because it too clearly foreshadowed where things were going with the angels.

Other episodes with extra scenology:

In the BeginningHeaven and HellOn the Head of a PinThe Monster at the End of This BookThe RaptureLucifer Rising

CommentariesI haven't had time to watch/listen to these, but we have a wealth of them on this go-around:

FeaturetteAgain, I didn't have time to explore this yet. It's broken into three parts: Paradiso, Purgatorio, Inferno, the first and last each with three parts, the middle with one. They're documentary style and feature "experts" from outside the show who have apparently explored the mythologies of angels and demons. It looks like it could be either fascinating or horribly dull.

Easter EggsI'm pretty terrible at finding these, so I Googled 'em. :) Thanks to here for a list! These are all Ghostfacer vids that have been seen before--nothing new, but very funny if you haven't seen them.

Gag ReelEveryone's favorite part, right? I haven't seen a gag reel for TV or movie that beat the ones for Supernatural. Season 3 didn't quite live up to the previous two, but it was still funny and satisfying.

Season 4's gag reel has been available online, but I wanted to wait for the real, high-quality thing and watch it on my big TV. It suffers from high expectations, but if I could objectively compare all four, this one would win in a landslide.

It's the longest, for one thing. There are some familiar themes--mugging, flatulence (though this time Jensen gives as good [or bad!] as Jared). There's also more from the recurring actors/actresses and the guest stars. Todd Stashwick lands a good one on Jensen and turns all fatherly. The part that most gratified me, I think, was toward the end, they featured crew members, with both video and stills. SPN fans (probably all obsessive fans) tend to recognize and be grateful for the huge contribution from those hard-working people, but it's nice that they're being pulled out for public recognition, too.

So that's it, the kit and kaboodle. I apologize for not having commentary review, but that might be a future post, so stay tuned. In the meantime...

T-minus less than a week and counting!!!!!!!!!!

To tide you over, you can find clips from 5.01 at Fangirl Says. I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Okay, it’s one thing to miss the Winchester boys (or at least new episodes starring said boys) while they’ve been on hiatus. We all miss them. It’s perfectly natural to be watching the repeats, to put your iPod on continuous Kansas (like I even have to say which song), or thumb through an essay in In The Hunt. However, for some of us, the lack of new Sam and Dean footage can lead to more serious symptoms, some of which, are, tragically, a bit crazypants. How can you be sure whether you or someone you know is suffering normal, albeit painful, pangs of longing and isn't on the verge of going DarkSide? I offer you the five tips below.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of the following, please consider close supervision until Thursday, September 10, 9 pm (EST):

1. You told your significant other that it would be romantic to give each other cute nicknames...and promptly started calling him Dean.

2. You insist that all the kids on your carpool route refer to your mini-van as "the Impala."

3. You've moved beyond just looking at pictures of Jared and Jensen online (totally normal) and have begun printing them out to wallpaper your room (slightly less so.)

4. You studied Latin this summer. And have been driving around looking for a situation in which to practice your newfound exorcism skills.

5. You've started keeping track of key moments in your life based on the airdate timeline--for instance, filling out your daughter's pre-school paperwork by stating that her birthday was Season 2, episode 16. (Warning!)

But I have good news, my friends! In little more than a week, the Winchesters will return and withdrawal should subside entirely. Until...the dreaded mid-season hiatus (dunh, duh, DUH).